James VI Of Scotland And His Harem Of Male Courtiers

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In the history of the British monarchy there is an impressive catalog of characters who have become icons of world history. King James VI of Scotland and I of England is one of them. Having been king practically all his life, since his mother, Mary abdicated in his favor when he was only one year old.

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00:00 In the history of the British monarchy, there is an impressive catalogue of characters who

00:06 have become icons of world history.

00:12 King James VI of Scotland and First of England is one of them, having been king practically

00:20 all his life since his mother Mary abdicated in his favour when he was only one year old.

00:29 James is known for being the first king to have unified Scotland and England.

00:36 James was born in 1567 and the following year he was named King of Scotland.

00:41 When his aunt Elizabeth I of England passed away without heirs, the throne of England

00:46 passed to him in 1603.

00:52 Among other curiosities for which James is famous are his treatises on witchcraft, the

00:56 creation of the first Anglican Bible, which is still read, importing tobacco into the

01:04 UK, and being the target of the famous gunpowder plot of 5 November.

01:12 However there is much more behind this character that many biographies leave out, including

01:17 his sexual orientation.

01:22 There are many documents that speak of his interest in handsome young men of the court,

01:25 such as Tom Tell Troth's compilation that says,

01:32 There he can kiss his young men without shame, and make his stable boys his companions without

01:37 any danger, who, knowing their secret sins, assume for themselves as much power and respect

01:43 as Catholic priests are accustomed to giving to their confessors.

01:49 It is even said that King James had no problem with showing his affections in public, despite

01:53 being something punishable at the time.

01:59 For James, the relationships he had with the young men of his court were not precisely

02:03 of a sexual nature.

02:08 He was actually a hopeless romantic who didn't hesitate to show his affection in a myriad

02:12 of ways.

02:13 James was seen as a just and happy king.

02:19 Despite this, the excessive affections that James showed earned him the nickname of "Queen

02:25 James".

02:28 Like an Ottoman sultan, James used to hold meetings in which he was surrounded by handsome

02:32 young men, and of course he also had his favorites.

02:39 One of his most famous favorites was Esme Stuart, Duke of Lennox, whom he met in 1580

02:44 at age 14 and who is said to have sparked his passions.

02:51 According to the letters that were exchanged, Stuart was not only his first great love,

02:55 but the one who introduced him to a world of sophistication that he had not seen in

02:59 Scotland.

03:04 When he was appointed King of England, James was dazzled by the beauty of one of his pages

03:08 for the ceremony, Robert Carr.

03:13 James never forgot his face.

03:16 Years later, during a festival, Carr had a horse accident.

03:20 Recognizing him, James ran to help him and took care of his recovery.

03:27 After his recovery, James positioned him within his court and eventually named him Earl of

03:32 Somerset.

03:33 As with Lennox, the court did not approve of this favoritism.

03:40 Many reasons ended up knocking Carr from his pedestal, but the biggest one was a young

03:44 man considered the most handsome man in the kingdom.

03:51 This young man was cleverly selected by Carr's detractors to impress the king.

03:55 His name was George Villiers, better known as the Duke of Buckingham.

04:03 Buckingham was his greatest love.

04:05 Even in 2004, a secret passage connecting their rooms was discovered.

04:12 In addition, in many of the letters they exchanged, there are signs of love that go beyond friendship.

04:18 "Naturally, I love your person so much, and I adore all your other parts, which are more

04:24 than a single man ever had."

04:30 The relationship was so strong that in 1617, a moral debate was held in the Privy Council,

04:35 where James was asked to explain the nature of their relationship.

04:40 "Jacobo, as honest as he was known to be, but with great wit, said, 'You can be sure

04:49 that I love the Duke of Buckingham more than anyone, and more than you who are gathered

04:53 here.

04:54 I wish to speak in my own name and not to be thought of as a defect, because Jesus Christ

04:59 did the same, and therefore I cannot be blamed.

05:02 Christ had John, and I have George.'"

05:08 Despite sufficient documentation and evidence, James' historians and biographers have always

05:13 preferred to ignore the issue of his sexual orientation.

05:20 Some have even assured that they are nothing more than gossip from his detractors, who

05:24 sought to expose him as a vulnerable man.

05:30 However it is unlikely, since James was a monarch who brought peace to a kingdom that

05:34 had been in conflict for decades, promoted the economy and culture.

05:42 And most importantly for that time, he secured a line of succession with seven children of

05:46 which three reached adulthood.

05:52 Meaning his sexual orientation in no way affected his work as a monarch and head of state.

05:59 Rather they make his story even more interesting.

06:02 After all, James is considered one of the most intelligent monarchs in the history of

06:06 the United Kingdom.

06:07 [Music]

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